3 Predictions for Gamification in 2012

2011 was an eventful one for the world of gamification. The term itself went mainstream and started to make sense for marketers and consumers alike this year. As we close 2011 and begin 2012, what will gamification's role look like? Here are some predictions:

1. Sales organizations get in the game. Gamifying CRM applications like Salesforce.com makes perfect sense: A large, very competitive group of individuals who are rewarded for achievements. Every sales organization has an incentive program, so why not use gamification to automate that program and boost adoption and participation while you're at it?

2. Business collaboration gets a boost. Businesses are making significant investments to socialize their enterprise through platforms like Jive, Salesforce and Yammer. These platforms are feature-rich. In fact, they're so feature-rich that getting users to take advantage of all the cool features can be daunting. How do you get employees to create profiles, share information and dig in to all that these platforms offer? Reward them for doing so. Make their accomplishments public for their colleagues to see.

3. Online reputations get noticed. Through gamification online communities can reward — and in extreme cases punish — users who participate in discourse. But how do you easily separate the good from the bad? You let your users tell you. Give users who consistently post informative, valuable information rewards based on favorable reactions and comments. Those users whose posts receive negative reactions (or worse, no reactions) get nothing beyond being moved to the bottom of the queue — or removed altogether.

Will gamification continue to grow in 2012? Bet on it. Gamified marketing campaigns will still make sense. 2012 is predicted to be the year of enterprise gamification, which provides an exciting market with a lot of opportunities to explore and uncover.

Rajat Paharia is the founder and chief product officer of Bunchball, a provider of online gamification solutions.